Publications

laboratory life cycle of ornithodoros brasiliensis (acari: argasidae): an endemic tick from southern brazil.	aragão is an endemic tick restricted to the highlands of the state of rio grande do sul, brazil. this species is very aggressive toward humans, causing fever, great pain and intense inflammatory response at the bite site. it is also very aggressive toward dogs, and tick toxicosis syndrome has been reported in this host. in order to elucidate the biology of this tick, the present study describes its life cycle under laboratory conditions, using guinea pigs as hosts for two generations. in the non ...	2016	26972686
the recent evolution of a maternally-inherited endosymbiont of ticks led to the emergence of the q fever pathogen, coxiella burnetii.	q fever is a highly infectious disease with a worldwide distribution. its causative agent, the intracellular bacterium coxiella burnetii, infects a variety of vertebrate species, including humans. its evolutionary origin remains almost entirely unknown and uncertainty persists regarding the identity and lifestyle of its ancestors. a few tick species were recently found to harbor maternally-inherited coxiella-like organisms engaged in symbiotic interactions, but their relationships to the q fever ...	2015	25978383
tick-borne infections in human and animal population worldwide.	the abundance and activity of ectoparasites and its hosts are affected by various abiotic factors, such as climate and other organisms (predators, pathogens and competitors) presenting thus multiples forms of association (obligate to facultative, permanent to intermittent and superficial to subcutaneous) developed during long co-evolving processes. ticks are ectoparasites widespread globally and its eco epidemiology are closely related to the environmental conditions. they are obligatory hematop ...	2015	27047089
modulation of host immunity by tick saliva.	next generation sequencing and proteomics have helped to comprehensively characterize gene expression in tick salivary glands at both the transcriptome and the proteome level. functional data are, however, lacking. given that tick salivary secretions are critical to the success of the tick transmission lifecycle and, as a consequence, for host colonization by the pathogens they spread, we thoroughly review here the literature on the known interactions between tick saliva (or tick salivary gland ...	2015	26189360
dogs, cats, parasites, and humans in brazil: opening the black box.	dogs and cats in brazil serve as primary hosts for a considerable number of parasites, which may affect their health and wellbeing. these may include endoparasites (e.g., protozoa, cestodes, trematodes, and nematodes) and ectoparasites (i.e., fleas, lice, mites, and ticks). while some dog and cat parasites are highly host-specific (e.g., aelurostrongylus abstrusus and felicola subrostratus for cats, and angiostrongylus vasorum and trichodectes canis for dogs), others may easily switch to other h ...	2014	24423244
experimentally induced tick toxicosis in rats bitten by ornithodoros brasiliensis (chelicerata: argasidae): a clinico-pathological characterization.	ornithodoros brasiliensis, also known as the mouro tick, is an argasid tick only found in the highlands of southern brazil. o. brasiliensis parasitism is associated with severe reactions in its hosts ranging from local pruritus and pain to systemic disturbances. recently, the re-emergence of o. brasiliensis parasitism in humans and dogs drew attention to the clinical findings induced by its bite, which are poorly understood and described. moreover, rare experimental data about tick bite effects ...	2014	24973739
ornithodoros brasiliensis (mouro tick) salivary gland homogenates inhibit in vivo wound healing and in vitro endothelial cell proliferation.	ornithodoros brasiliensis is a nidicolous tick only found in the southern brazilian highlands region. o. brasiliensis parasitism is frequently associated with toxicosis syndrome, which can lead to severe reactions, ranging from local pruritus and pain to systemic disturbances both in humans and dogs. one of the most frequent findings associated with an o. brasiliensis bite is a slow healing lesion at the site of tick attachment, which can take several weeks to heal. this work tested the hypothes ...	2013	23397378
epidemiology of ornithodoros brasiliensis (mouro tick) in the southern brazilian highlands and the description of human and animal retrospective cases of tick parasitism.	ornithodoros brasiliensis, also known as the "mouro" tick, is an argasid tick found exclusively in the southern brazilian highlands. o. brasiliensis parasitism is frequently associated with severe symptoms directly induced by the tick bite, a condition compatible with the definition of tick toxicosis. the objectives of this work include (i) the determination of the distribution of o. brasiliensis in farms located in the tick-endemic region, (ii) the description of the characteristics of o. brasi ...	2013	23238249
occurrence of ornithodoros brasiliensis arag+úo (acari: argasidae) in s+úo francisco de paula, rs, southern brazil.	there have been no reports of the endemic ornithodoros brasiliensis (arag+úo) in rio grande do sul, southern brazil, since the 1950s. in january 2007, 21 o. brasiliensis ticks were collected in a rural area named "cruzinha" in the municipality of s+úo francisco de paula, rs, and another population was sampled later that year (october) in vargem do cedro, another rural area of s+úo francisco de paula, following reports of human parasitism by ticks. the reappearance of this tick is a reason for co ...	2011	21437496
tick toxicosis in a dog bitten by ornithodoros brasiliensis.	ticks are hematophagous parasites of people and animals and are a public health hazard in several countries. they are vectors of infectious diseases; in addition, the bite of some ticks, mainly from the ornithodoros genus, may lead to local lesions and systemic illness, referred to as tick toxicosis. in this report, we describe a dog bitten by ornithodoros brasiliensis, popularly known as the mouro tick. the main clinical findings were disseminated skin rash, pruritus, mucosal hyperemia, letharg ...	2011	21827517
survey for tick-borne zoonoses in the state of espirito santo, southeastern brazil.	blood samples collected from 201 humans, 92 dogs, and 27 horses in the state of espirito santo, brazil, were tested by polymerase chain reaction, indirect immunofluorescence assays, and indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for tick-borne diseases (rickettsiosis, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, borreliosis, babesiosis). our results indicated that the surveyed counties are endemic for spotted fever group rickettsiosis because sera from 70 (34.8%) humans, 7 (7.6%) dogs, and 7 (25.9%) horses were ...	2010	20595502
a review of the ticks (acari, ixodida) of brazil, their hosts and geographic distribution - 1. the state of rio grande do sul, southern brazil.	a review of the ticks (acari, ixodida) of the state of rio grande do sul, southern brazil, was completed as a step towards a definitive list (currently indicated as 12) of such species, their hosts and distribution. the ticks: argas miniatus (poultry), ixodes loricatus (opossums), amblyomma aureolatum (dogs), a. calcaratum (anteaters), a. cooperi (capybaras), a. nodosum (anteaters), a. tigrinum (dogs) (neotropical) and rhipicephalus sanguineus (dogs) (introduced, cosmopolitan, afrotropical) were ...	2000	10904399
observations on the biology of the argasid tick, ornithodoros brasiliensis aragão, 1923; with the recovery of a spirochete, borrelia brasiliensis, n. sp.		1952	12991141